SAARC Regional Training Manual on Pediatric Tuberculosis

According to Global TB Report 2015, worldwide, 9.6 million people are estimated to have fallen ill with TB in 2014: 5.4 million men, 3.2 million women and 1.0 million children. Globally, 12% of the 9.6 million new TB cases in 2014 were HIV-positive. It is estimated that accurate diagnosis and good reporting system children are likely to contribute 10-20% of disease burden in areas where the TB is poorly controlled. The incidence of paediatric TB provides an accurate measure of ongoing transmission within communities, which is a key indicator of control. Despite decline in death due to TB globally is still very high. In 2014, TB killed 1.5 million people (1.1 million HIV-negative and 0.4 million HIVpositive), making it one of the deadliest disease in the planet. The toll comprised 890,000 men, 480,000 women and 140,000 children. 

A common misconception is that children are not severely affected by the TB epidemic and rarely develop severe forms of disease. This is not the case in TB endemic areas, where children are often present with advanced and serious disease (TB meningitis, Miliary TB).